Urban Outfitters came under fire Monday after releasing — and quickly apologizing for — a "blood-stained" Kent State sweatshirt, an obvious nod to the 1970 shootings at the university that left four dead, nine injured and a nation reeling.

Another day another controversy for Philadelphia retailer, which seems to be releasing controversial products on purpose to spark public outcry and gain traction on social media outlets. In the last year alone, the company has been criticized for a number of offensive products such as the “Depression” women’s T-shirt, its promotional hypodermic needle-shaped pens and bed covers featuring religious deities, which offended Hindus and other religious leaders.

Although it comes off as offensive, marketing experts say the strategy is actually working to some degree.

“Their common refrain that ‘it’ was unintentional does not ring true,” said Ronald Hill, professor of marketing and business law at Villanova University. “Instead, they are pushing the envelope because they know it garners attention of the 24/7 news media as well as social media, resulting in an expansive word-of-mouth.”

Success in controversy

Local marketing and branding experts say that this strategy is one reason Urban Outfitters has been so successful, and one reason why it will most likely continue selling controversial items.

“One reason Urban Outfitters has been a successful company is that they like to hone in on a particular target market customer — understand what they find funny and hone in on it,” said Susan Mudambi, associate professor of marketing and supply chain management at Temple University. “In fact, part of the appeal is doing products that other people find offensive.”

People are quick to give the retailer a free pass, Mudambi said.

“Urban Outfitters survives because people accept it. It’s like Thanksgiving — [Urban Outfitters] is that one odd uncle that says outrageous things. He gets away with it because he’s that odd uncle.”

Kerri Konik, CEO of Brandscape Atelier LLC, said Urban Outfitters and it's other brands are tuned into the impact of emotional events on their brand, intentionally polarizing the masses.

“In branding, to strategically polarize is a planned strategy,” Konik said. “By issuing provocative language and products that create buzz, [Urban Outfitters] brings brand fans closer and sends their non-fans away, while driving traffic to their website, to see the item and even capture new sales.”

Urban Outfitters’ miscalculation

Although Urban Outfitters’ branding and marketing strategies are intentional, experts said the Philadelphia retailer may have underestimated the backlash when it released the "bloody" Kent State University sweatshirt.

“They misjudged the size of the number of people who would find this [sweatshirt] funny,” Mudambi said.

The reason the sweatshirt was so badly received, despite being a throwback to an event that happened more than 40 years ago, was because people, instead, connected the sweatshirt to more recent massacres: Columbine, which left 13 dead; Virginia Tech, which left 32 dead; and Sandy Hook, which left 26 dead.

“Urban Outfitters underestimated the backlash on this one, [because] unless you’re from Ohio like I am, you wouldn’t care about Kent State as much as the things it triggers,” Mudambi said. “The trigger of the connection to other violent tragedies, including all the recent publicity that happened at Ferguson, was reminiscent of Kent State.”

It’s no secret that Urban Outfitters is a bastion for hipsters, with apparel and accessories — including an inventory of vinyl records and Atari T-shirts — that scream of nostalgia. Given that, it only made sense, as a brand, to reference something that happened in the ‘70s in order to avoid connections with recent massacres — a plan that clearly backfired.

“Why did they go back to Kent State — back to May 4, 1970?” Mudambi said. “The main group of people that wouldn't find them funny is the target market’s parents and grandparents, so they didn’t think that [the sweatshirt] would be terribly out of line for their target market.”

Hill also said the sweatshirt crosses multiple generations.

“Baby boomers wanted their own music and pushed away from music of the past; they were really looking forward to the music of the ‘60s,” Hill said. “[Millennials] aren’t like that — they stayed connected with their parents, so the baby boomers shared a lot of things that their parents either didn’t or weren’t interested in learning.”

Furthermore, he said: “It could be possible that [the sweatshirt] could have this connection. I see no other reason why Kent State popped out, unless you’re a young person who goes to Kent, who would see this as something they would look to have.”

“It’s like 9/11 — nobody makes jokes about that because we keep it front and center like the additional groups of ISIS,” Hill said.

When it comes to branding and marketing, Hill referenced what is called “pyramid-ing.” That is, a significant change of sales, which is done by introducing new products or a new buzz about products.

Apologies

Urban Outfitters is notorious for not responding when asked for comment, instead releasing apologies via statements. (Urban Outfitters did not respond when the Philadelphia Business Journal reached out for comment.)

For Kent State, it said there was no blood on the shirt and that the "discoloration [is] from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray." It removed the shirt from its website soon after the controversy started to gain steam.

Again, experts say it's all part of the company's larger strategy.

“Part of their attraction is to be a little mysterious and hard to understand. They enjoy people saying, ‘Why would you do that?,’ ” Mudambi said. “They enjoy people asking the questions without them required to give a full answer.”

Mudambi said: “In a way, it’s like an angry parent yelling at a teenager. What does the teenager say? Nothing.”

For a second quarter in a row this year, Urban Outfitters Inc. sales declined at its namesake stores, while other brands — such as Anthropologie and Free People — continue to increase.